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I've called ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëù home since 1995. Growing up urban Indigenous, my father (William Albert Walker), a residential school survivor, taught me to live in two worlds while maintaining our Mi'kmaq identity and my Two-spirit identity. The first time I came to campus as a teenager for physiotherapy, my dad asked, "Will you go to university one day?" I didn't know then. Today, I'm a fourth-year International Indigenous Studies student. My research explores two-eyed seeing — Etuaptmumk — as a Mi'kmaq methodology for Indigenous people navigating Western spaces. As a Mi'kmaq person, I've been living Etuaptmumk my whole life. 

 When the PURE Award opportunity came, I didn't know if it was right for me, but I applied anyway. This summer was difficult, sometimes re-traumatizing. What saved me was support from my Elders and community - but I know not all Indigenous students have that. But here's what else happened: I facilitated listening circles the Mi'kmaq way. People started writing letters in my notebook about how the work moved them. I built powerful relationships and allyship across the country. I even helped create an opportunity to host a Two-Spirit powwow alongside Rev. Tony Snow, a member of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation that the United Church will be funding through their Justice and Reconciliation fund. Which in turn created an opportunity to support the ²»Á¼Ñо¿Ëù interfaith community create and maintain a sustainable reconciliation plan. 

If you're an Indigenous student considering research, it takes reflective work. Get to know yourself, your community, and your Elders. Build relationships grounded in the four R's—relationship, responsibility, reciprocity, and respect. Be authentically Indigenous and don't get lost in the colonial machine. 

This work isn't just for us. It's for the past seven generations who have created our path and the future seven generations to follow future. The clock can't be turned backwards—we can only go forward together. When I see young Indigenous students on campus, I see myself in them. When I walk through MacEwan Hall, I think of my dad and say, "I'm here."